As someone who grew up with no small degree of reverence for the VW Beetle, a car so iconic and enduring that it was part car, part cultural symbol, I was left feeling somewhat ambivalent with its 1999 incarnation.

Yes, I thought, how exciting, it’s here at last. But hang on a minute… it’s a bit boring and a bit, well, girly.

In fact, what Volkswagen had done, essentially, was take the basic design template for the original Beetle and make it as bland as possible by removing all of the character. Plus it had the naffest and most pointless of all possible vehicle accessories: a flower holder.

Truth be told – I didn’t exactly go bananas.

Now here’s some good news. We at Duck2Water have had a sneak preview of the 2011 incarnation of the Beetle, and it looks good. Not only is it environmentally friendly, fuel-efficient and roomier than the 1991 version, it’s also a lot less girly. It’s not that women won’t like it, it’s just that it’s got a broader appeal.

A spokesperson from VW comments, "We wanted the new model to be a car of today, as well as a design tribute to the original.

"It has a more macho appearance and is a more dynamic driving car. This is not a girly car and we've thrown away the flower holder."

In fact, it all looks so good that I’ve already started saving – it’s thought that the new Beetle will be cheap for car insurance too. Woo-hoo, I really could go bananas!

Labels: 1999, 2011, Beetle, cheap car insurance, Volkswagen, VW